• Reflections

    This I Believe

    Last week, I was tasked with writing my personal leadership statement for my North Carolina Fellows Program capstone class. The program allows college students to define and enhance their leadership styles throughout their time at UNC-Chapel Hill. The only rules for this assignment were that the statement had to take the format of NPR’s “This I Believe” series, started in 2009, and that it had to be recorded in our own voice. Here’s what I had to say: For those of you who’d prefer to read it, there’s a transcribed version below. I was born to a mother who taught me that empathy is the key to life. She taught my brother and I…

  • Words of Wisdom

    5 Ways to Come Up With A Blog Post Idea When You Can’t Come Up With A Blog Post Idea.

    This week’s entry is rather ironic because it came as the result of a period of writer’s block. I COULD NOT COME UP WITH A BLOG POST IDEA. So I turned my panic into a blog post. #lemonade. via GIPHY Keeping up a blog is hard, and figuring out exactly what you want to write about and how you want to write about it can be frustrating. So, to appease those of you who are feeling as defeated as I was prior to getting this idea, here are a few tips methods I’ve used to help me keep the ball rolling. Use a blog topic generator.This is not going to be…

  • Reflections

    The Time I Got Sage Advice (From a Crazy Scotswoman) on the Train

    I’ve been fortunate enough to meet interesting people in the most serendipitous of ways. This is the story about how I got some powerful advice from one of them. When I was studying abroad in London, I spent half my week taking classes at UNC’s Winston House and half my week working in Reading for Bullitt Group Ltd. The commute to and from Reading took me about an hour each way, and my rides home would often involve looking out at the sunset through the train window. I’d often get to Paddington Station for the last leg of my journey and find crowds of people all trying catch the 5.30pm train home. On one particular Thursday afternoon, the…

  • Reflections,  Reviews

    My Big Obsession with Tiny Homes

    There is something intriguing about being able to build a home that is cute, affordable and eco-friendly. I first became interested in tiny homes when I decided to entertain my mother’s idea about watching HGTV’s “Tiny House, Big Living.” She is obsessed with home and garden design shows and has done everything in her power to get me to follow suit. In the summer of 2018, she finally succeeded. Together, my mother and I watched countless episodes of people searching for the perfect tiny homes across the US. Some of them were less-than-ideal, with cramped spaces and no storage (that’s a no from me, dawg). But others were fantastic, boasting…

  • Pieces of Work,  Words of Wisdom

    Thoko’s Take on Body Positivity

    I am a writer for an online publication called The Bridge. It’s a magazine documenting the experiences and thoughts of women of color at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. Here is an article I wrote towards the end of last semester about loving our temples (that’s what I call bodies).  The journey to appreciating yourself will be long and arduous, and sometimes lonely. These are some of my tips to get you started, but by no means do you have to follow any of these steps to a T. Criticize these. Adapt them. Adopt them. Chuck some out. Add your own in. It’s your journey. Find beautiful and empowered womxn…

  • Reflections,  Travel,  Words of Wisdom

    My Thoughts on Studying Abroad

    The last 5 years of my life have been one long study abroad experience. I added to that experience by participating in the UNC Honors Semester in London in the Spring of 2017. I had the most amazing time there, and London remains one of my favorite places in the world. When I got back, I was interviewed by the Undergraduate Admissions team. Here are a few of my thoughts on studying abroad. Why you picked this program: I had always wanted to live in London and the program was the perfect opportunity for me to do so. The diversity of the city is something that I’ve always been drawn to…

  • Internships,  Reflections,  Travel

    Summer Internship 2017 – Mauritius

    My high school, African Leadership Academy, was founded on the premise of creating the next generation of African leaders. The intention was for us to learn about emotional intelligence, and ethical leadership and entrepreneurship so as to forge a better path for our continent. The founder of my high school decided to start up a university to continue these lessons into tertiary education and that is how the African Leadership University began in 2015. After a long and amazing semester in London, I got on a plane and headed to a tiny island in the Indian Ocean called Mauritius. The country is truly beautiful, boasting sandy beaches and coral reefs.…

  • Pieces of Work

    ‘Talking Biz News’ News Release

    In the fall of 2017, I volunteered as a PR intern for Chris Roush – a professor of business journalism at UNC who runs a business journalism site called ‘Talking Biz News’. While there, I got to try my hand at writing news releases that were published on Business Wire. The following is one of them: ‘Talking Biz News’ Announces 2017 Winner of ‘Business Journalist of the Year’ Award December 15, 2017 09:00 AM Eastern Standard Time CHAPEL HILL, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jay Yarow, the executive editor and senior vice president of CNBC Digital, has been named the ‘Talking Biz News’ Business Journalist of the Year. Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor…